National Champs Dominate IWLCA All-Metro Region Squad

LANCASTER, Pa. - Eight members of Franklin & Marshall's 2009 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship Team were named to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Metro Region Team when it was released on Tuesday. Seven Diplomats were named to the First Team and are eligible for All-America consideration, while one was named to the Second Team.

Ashley Bevington, Blake Hargest, Devi Hensch, Jen Pritchard, Sarah Meisenberg, Lidia Sanza and Shannon Summers were each named to the First Team. Paulette Cutruzulla was named to the Second Team.

Bevington, a senior and one of four team captains, is making her third consecutive appearance on the regional first team following a year in which she scored 42 times. She also assisted on 10 goals. Three of Bevington's tallies stood up as game-winners. She was fourth on the team amongst field players in ground balls (31) and draw controls (33).

Hargest, a junior, jumps from the second team last year to the first this year. She netted the game-winning goal in overtime of the NCAA title game. It was her third game-winning goal of the year and the last of her 37 on the season. In addition to being fifth on the team in goals, Hargest was second on the team in assists with 41, leaving her third on the team in points (78).

Hensch has been one of F&M's most consistent defensively oriented players over her career. 2009 marks the first year she has been recognized for her efforts. She was voted to the All-Centennial team for the first time this year and is now making her first all-region appearance. In the title game, she was tasked with marking Salisbury's top scorer, Robyn Bishop. Hensch held her scoreless. The consummate team player was second on the team in caused turnovers (24) and fifth amongst field players in ground balls (28).

Meisenberg is another of F&M's four captains. The senior is s multiple-time All-American and now a four time IWLCA all-region first team selection. The 2009 Karvasales award winner, recognizing the senior with the most impressive cumulative athletic resume, was third on the team in assists (30), including the helper to Hargest's overtime in game winner in the NCAA National Championship Game. The final of her team-best 27 caused turnovers provided F&M with the possession needed to send the title game into overtime. Meisenberg was second on the team amongst field players in ground balls with 34 and third on the draws with 48 controls.

A three-time All-American, Pritchard has been named to the IWLCA All-Region First Team for the fourth time in her career. 2009 marks the second time she was named the NCAA Championship Tournament's Most Outstanding Player in her career. She finished the championship game with four goals. Pritchard scored 68 times in 2009, tops on the team. Seven of her goals stood as game winning goals, part of her F&M career record of 24 in the category.

Pritchard ends her career having scored in the final 69 games of her career, an NCAA record. She scored in 83 of her 84 career games. She twitched twine 268 times in her career, 47 more times than the previous record holder. She wrapped her career with 320 total points, resetting that school record as well. She has the NCAA record for career goals in the tournament (53) and in a single tournament (19 in 2007).

The Diplomats last line of defense, Sanza was the lone junior to serve as one of the four team captains. She returns to the all-region top team for the first time since 2007, when she backed up the Diplomats' first NCAA title. Sanza stopped 53.9 percent of the shots fired at her and posted a 7.39 goals against average after a season in which F&M faced down ten IWLCA top ten teams, six of which were ranked in the top five.

A clutch performer, Sanza recorded double-digits in the saves column in five of those six games, including a 10 save effort against Salisbury in the NCAA Championship. She recorded a stop at point blank with ten seconds to play in regulation and one more in overtime. She recorded a pair of stops in the final minute of the one-goal win over Union in the regular season. Sanza posted a season-high of 13 saves in the win over Hamilton in the NCAA semifinals.

Summers saved her best for last. The senior has made her way onto the first team for the second time in as many years and appears on the squad for the fourth time in her career. Her final campaign marked the second 100-point season (104) on record at Franklin & Marshall, falling two points shy of the school record. Summers dished out 65 assists this season to move to the top of the career chart in the category (150).  Summers rolled up seven or more points six times, including a stretch of four in five games. Her season high of nine came in the regular season against Dickinson. That was followed by back-to-back eight-point performances.

A two year starter, Cutruzulla held down the defensive end for Franklin & Marshall. The junior was named to the All-Centennial team for the first time this season. She led all field players in ground balls with 40 and was third on the team in caused turnovers with 18. Cutruzulla's second team honor marks the first all-region selection of her career.

Franklin & Marshall posted a record of 21-1 en route to the 2009 NCAA Division III National Championship. It was the Diplomats' second title in three years. In less than 24 hours on championship weekend, F&M defeated both of the teams that combined for their only three losses over the past three years. The 2009 Diplomats became the first F&M women's lacrosse team to roll up 500 points in a season by scoring 345 goals with 200 assists - both program records - for a combined 545 points.

The Diplomats' seniors piled up an overall record of 76-8 and a record of 37-1 in games against Centennial Conference opponents. The group has posted a record of 42-1 on their home field and owns just about all of the major season and career statistical records tracked.